SOMETIMES, one plus one equals two. That’s when actions cannot match statements. Cautious men, no matter how candid they are, can come out with double meaning sentences. It is up to those who heard it to separate the chaff from the grain, so to speak. It can be digested through deductively processing it. It will be a lot easier if you know from whom the statements are coming from.
Last Thursday, at the Capampangan Media Inc. (CAMI) weekly forum, newly minted Clark Development Corporation Chairman Edgardo D. Pamintuan was guest. He consumed close to thirty minutes in informing the media men who personally attended and those in zoom of his strings of accomplishments when he was the “Superman” of the Gloria Macapagal Arroyo administration.
She closed the loop in Edsa. He was responsible for the completion of many infra projects, Cavitex, etc. The list was long. There was not much interest on my part on those glowing achievements of Edpam. I’ve heard them before. But my colleagues, Mario Garcia, Vot Vitug and Joe Cortez were all ears. I can sense they were very much impressed.
I was more interested in asking him more about his political plans, but time run out. I was able to profound one. Are you running for mayor in 2022? It was a flat NO. For those who do know Edpam, his NO really means no. As a newsman for several decades, I adopted what is common to newspaper people, and that being cynical at times. Meaning I am still validating his no.
My association with Edpam started way back in 1988 when he was the running mate of the late Antonio Abad Santos aka Bubusok. I was in their council slate. We both won and served the city government for many years. Just like a basketball teammate, I’ve grown accustomed to his moves, and to a certain extent I can read his mind. I can’t remember where this quote came from: “We look upon the present as the child of the past and the parent of the future.” Edpam is a controversial child of the past. Presently he is a colorful figure.
But the future is still in his hands. What legacy he will imprint among the Angelenos is not because he was responsible for closing the loop in EDSA, or he was one of those instrumentals in effecting big ticket items during the Arroyo administration. But the impact he made as the chief executive of Angeles City for many years. He might have strings of accomplishments that he can beat his breast and punch the air. But many still believes he hasn’t “closed the loop” when he left city hall and run for congress as a party list rep. He didn’t hurdle that one.
“The city can move forward without me. He said something to that effect. If I will not be in the forthcoming mayoral race, there are timbers like Bryan Nepomuceno and Alex Caugiran,” he added. His parting words to me: “Era ko papamwan, pota...” that was his parting words to me as he walked away.